Field of the Invention
The present invention relates generally to a device for controlling the discharge of substances stored in collapsible tubes or like containers, and more particularly to a rotatable closure mounted to an extended neck member formed as part of a collapsible tube and/or container.
There are many known devices that have been or are being employed to control the dispensing of substances, such as toothpaste, shaving cream, gel, glue, cement, etc., from collapsible tubes. However, these known types of tube-closure devices have features that limit the types of substances that can be dispensed from a container. Also, while they are expensive to manufacture, these devices still do not provide a means to indicate when a container cap or closure has been tampered with.
As examples of various closure devices for collapsible tubes, the following U.S. patents are noted in the existing art:
U.S. Pat. No. 1,685,147 to O. B. Case discloses a container having a revolvable cap, the cap and the neck members being threadless. The cap is formed and mounted to the neck member for unrestricted rotation in either direction.
U.S. Pat. No. 2,138,992 to M. Baker discloses a closure for collapsible tubes which comprises a rotatable outer cap member having a limit pin adapted to be moved in a restricted groove formed in an inner cap member, the inner cap member being threadably secured to the neck of the tube.
U.S. Pat. No. 3,198,406 to A. W. Kopelman discloses another two-part cap unit whereby the outer cap member rotates about an inner cap member, the inner cap member being provided with internal threads so as to be threadably mounted to the collapsible tube.
Other patents of interest are U.S. Pat. Nos. 2,682,355 and 3,439,843.